A2 Modern designs A2 walking-tour map, hosts architecture event

As Michigan gained dominance in the new-car market in the mid-19th century, leading architects were also designing of-the-moment housing. The decades spanning 1940-1970 spawned Modernism - a spare, clean style which abounds in Ann Arbor, where renowned architects and professors of architecture - think Eero Saarinen, George Brigham, and Alden B. Dow - designed many of the iconic Modern homes still standing today.

"There was a lot happening in Ann Arbor - the college was moving from the Beaux Arts style to Modern, there was a large influx of new students after the war, more faculty, and the need to build. The faculty were doing cutting-edge research and were really open to a new and different way of living," explains Nancy Deromedi, co-founder of A2 Modern, an educational group and promoter of Ann Arbor's collection of Modern architecture.

Although no firm count of Modern properties in Ann Arbor has been completed yet, A2 Modern, together with U-M's College of Architecture, has developed a walking-tour map highlighting 86 sites around the city. Many can be found in Ann Arbor Hills, Barton Hills, near Spring Street, and along E. Huron River Drive.

"I think what is interesting to see is if you start in the Geddes-Arb area, you can see the changing styles of what was Modern, starting with the home George Brigham designed for two families...It is on Oswego, [made of] concrete block and has more of an International Modern feel. And then you can work your way over a few blocks to see what Alden Dow did for his sister in 1932, which is a fabulous low-ground hugging structure on Berkshire; then go a few blocks further and see an example of Bauhaus with the home William Muschenheim designed for himself on Heatherway. So, it is really a fascinating collection of ideas and influences," Deromedi says.

Modern fans and the merely curious can meet at 7 p.m. on October 9 at the Bentley Historical Library in Ann Arbor, where A2 Modern will host state historic preservation officer Brian Conway, who will be discussing Michigan's role in the Modern movement. To obtain walking tour maps and for more information on upcoming programming from A2 Modern, click here.

Source:  Nancy Deromedi, co-founder of A2 Modern
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar